Fast at 30 – what’s in-store to mark the 30th anniversary

FASTAT 30

He’s a pop culture icon grown out of the video games industry, and who now transcends many entertainment mediums. We find out how Sonic the Hedgehog is having a blast at 30… and has no intention of slowing down just yet.

“Over the past 30 years we’ve seen Sonic become a pop culture icon for the video games industry, and it's our goal to maintain his standing by continuing to develop innovative experiences for fans,” states Ivo Gerscovich, chief brand officer at SEGA America. “We don’t see Sonic slowing down anytime soon.” The ‘blue blur’ made his debut in the US in June 1991, followed by the rest of the world the following month, on the SEGA Genesis console. Since then, a plethora of games have sped into retail on a variety of platforms, while

SEGA has also successfully expanded the character into animation and the box office and, of course, consumer products.

Ivo continues: “At SEGA, the Sonic team has always strived to keep Sonic’s core attributes consistent while bringing fans innovative new ways to experience the Sonic Universe. Across our games,

Left: Ivo Gerscovich, chief brand officer, SEGA America.

films, animation, comics and merchandise,we are always looking for new ways to authentically expand

Sonic’s story, and we owe a lot of credit to our incredible partners in those categories, who have worked with us closely and enabled us to take Sonic to new heights, technologically or through new channels.” Fans can look forward to a variety of new gaming experiences in celebration of the 30th anniversary. Sonic Colours: Ultimate is due to launch across current generation consoles and PC on 7 September, bringing a new spin to the 2010 Nintendo Wii platformer. “We’re also making fan favourite games like Sonic Mania Plus and Team Sonic Racing more available than ever with platform expansions on Epic Games Store and Amazon Luna,” says Ivo. “You’ll also see Sonic making appearances in other popular games such as Minecraft and Two Point Hospital, along with a slew of mobile game updates for Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Sonic Dash and more.” When it comes to new merchandise, a host of partners are on board for the UK ranging from Wow Stuff, HoloToyz, Fizz Creations and Corsair, through to Finsbury Foods, Moonpig, G FUEL, Character World, Groovy UK, Global Brands Group and Marc Jacques Burton to name just a few. Jakks Pacific will be launching a Giant Eggman Robot play-set, further expanding its successful toy range, and there will be publishing from companies including Dark Horse. “This is a momentous year for Sonic the Hedgehog and his fans and we are incredibly proud to be partnering with so many leaders in their field across such as diverse range of product categories,” comments Jason Rice, director of brand licensing at SEGA Europe. SEGA has also created a variety of special content specifically for the 30th anniversary, as Ivo explains. “In June, we released a commemorative global video, titled ‘Unbreakable’ that featured

Sonic as an inspirational hero, for the 30th anniversary which was published on the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel. “We also hosted the virtual event, Sonic Central, where we shared all the activities we have planned for the 30th anniversary spanning games, animation experiences and partnership announcements. We heavily utilise our official Sonic social media platforms to share updates with our community first and foremost, but we’re also

teaming up with media partners like Summer

Game Fest for special events, like the Sonic Symphony Orchestra virtual concert event that took place on Sonic’s birthday (23 June).”

Since May, a global marketing campaign has been running, with rolling coverage of announcements across licensing, games, partnerships and more. “This has set us up for an exciting 2022 with upcoming activations that will go through the end of the year,” says Ivo. Ultimately though, the 30th celebration is all about the fans, Ivo concludes: “With the 30th anniversary campaign, our main goal has been to pay tribute to the fans who have been with us all along, and to generate excitement among fans new and old for the upcoming experiences we have in the cannon.”